Resurgence
by mashamallows
Summary: Regina Mills was reported missing the 23rd of March, 2012, from the small town of Storybrooke, Maine, leaving behind a broken son, and an angry biological mother./full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: -Regina Mills was reported missing the 23rd of March, 2012, from the small town of Storybrooke, Maine, leaving behind a broken son, and an angry biological mother. -with her son's mom gone, Emma Swan had to step up; raising a son wasn't going to be easy, but she had to do it. And she had to find Regina. -after six years of no results, and a declaration of death by absentia, on the 14th of July, 2018, Regina Mills is found in a cabin in the woods, fighting for her life. -with her son's adoptive mother back from the dead, Emma Swan must learn to adjust again, though this time, it was for her friend's sake.**

 **First time writing in this fandom, go easy on me people :)**

 **This was loosely base on Absentia, the TV show starring Stana Katic.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Emma wakes up with a start, hearing her phone ringing from beside her on her bedside table. A phone call at -she looks at her alarm clock and notes that it's 3 am- this time of the morning is never a good sing. Grumbling like the big baby she is when she doesn't get enough sleep, she slides the green button towards the right, and brings the device to her ear.

"Hello," she groans, and straightens up when she hears sirens in the background of the call. Sirens?

"Is this sheriff Emma Swan, from Storybrooke?"

"This is she," she said. She's sitting up completely now, doing her best to cover her bare chest. She hears a muffled mumble escape from the sleeping form beside her, and dismisses it with a glare.

"Well, sheriff, you're not gonna believe this, but remember the missing person's case from seven years ago? The mayor?"

Emma nearly thinks that her heart is going to escape her chest. She swallows thickly, and _wow_ _no, I've been looking for her everywhere for years and some other detective found her?_ But she silences the petty voice and chides that _thank god, they found her, it's nothing short of a miracle_. She feels tears roll down her cheeks, because this is it, this is where they tell her that the mother of her son is dead, that they found her decomposed body lying somewhere-

"We're at Boston general, if you'll meet us here to confirm that this is your girl?" The voice continues on in that same bored tone, and Emma wonders how many times this person had to do this before.

She throws her legs to the ground, rooting them firmly -she's always had the special ability to fall on her face randomly, and for no reason-, and scrambles to get on her underwear, a pair of jeans, a tank top, and her sheriff jacket. Boston is just a few hours away, and she can make it in less, if there's no traffic- Henry. Shit. She has completely forgotten that she has a son she's completely responsible for- again. It happens often, so she just brushes it off, and decides that it's never too late to wake up her sleeping friends and ask them a favor.

She completely disregards the sleeping lump on her bed, and stomps towards her closet, finding her converses, and putting them on. Shit, they said hospital. _Hospital_. That means she's _alive_. How the hell is that possible? Where has she been all these years? Who took her? Was she coming back to live with them?

After Regina's untimely disappearance, Emma moved into the mayoral mansion with Henry. She didn't want him to lose the familiar environment, not after just losing his mom, and she found herself finding comfort in the empty white house, that still smells exactly like Regina- of cinnamon, and apples.

Finally deciding to acknowledge the man sleeping in her bed, she nudges him with the pointy end of her shoe, struggling to put her messy curls up in a ponytail.

"Killian, wake up. Fuck it, wake up, you useless lump, I have better things to do." _Like finding out where Regina has been for seven years_ , she mulls bitterly.

Killian growls something like 'not now, Swan,' and that was it for Emma.

"Get the fuck up you stupid jerk, and get the fuck out of my house," she yells, loud enough for Killian to jerk awake, and low enough for Henry to continue sleeping.

The man scrambles to his feet, an embarrassing sight really. All nude, with a terrified look on his face, like a deer caught in headlights.

"What-"

"Get out, Jesus Christ!" She screams again, making him gather his clothes, and rush out of the master bedroom, still in his birthday suit.

"I can't believe I let you sleep in Regina's bed," she grumbles, but it isn't like she was conscious of it when they did it.

She's pretty sure that she was at the rabbit hole, and they had gotten drunk, like usual, and decided to fuck. It isn't the first time it happens, but Emma still feels a sour taste in her mouth. _What would Regina say if she learns that I drink so much, while still trying to be a good mother to Henry?_

Regina would probably do everything in her power to get Henry the hell away from her, and yell at her until she cleans up her act. But with no one to yell at her, Emma swan was at a loss. She still manages to be a decent mother though; she only has those 'outings' with Killian after putting Henry to bed.

She rushes to Henry's bedroom, pausing in the doorway to take a breath. _Okay, Henry's not a kid anymore. He's fourteen now. He notices when something's are wrong. I better pull this off._

She tiptoes into his room, careful not to bump into anything and shakes his shoulder gently.

"Henry, wake up honey."

"What now, Ma," he groans. "It's Saturday morning."

"I know honey, I know," she sighs and tries to calm her nerves, but they feel like they're on fire. "But something came up, and I need to take you to Mary's because I'll be out of town."

He groans loudly, his mutating voice making it sound awkward and creaky, but he gets up nonetheless, putting on his own converses.

They run down the stairs, Henry clutching his cell phone in one hand, and his pillow in another, making a beeline for Regina's cruiser.

She's always liked big cars, and Emma finally understood why after a year of Regina's disappearance. Driving a bug with someone else in it can become suffocating. She decided to start using the cruiser after a fit of claustrophobia, where she had to take Henry and a couple of his friends to the movie theater.

They get in, and Emma immediately turns it on, driving off with a screech into the night.

"Henry, can you call Mary for me?" Emma asks him, looking at him from the corner of her eye. He doesn't seem to notice that anything is going on.

He nods sleepily, punching in Mary's phone number onto his screen.

It rings for a few seconds, before a sleepy, but panicked voice answers.

"Henry, honey, are you okay?" Mary Margaret asks in a hurry, and it's impressive for someone who has just woken up.

"Yeah, yeah, work stuff for Ma. Can I stay over?"

"Sure thing, Hun. You know you're always welcome," the woman practically coos on the phone, making mother and son smile.

After dropping Henry off at Mary's place, Emma drives off to Boston in the silence of the night, with country music as her only companion. She wonders what Regina's going to look like after seven damn years. She bets that she's still as gorgeous as ever. She smiles as she pictures Regina's perfect olive skin, plum lips, blinding smirk. Holy fuck, she misses her so much. She realizes that just then, as she took the highway.

She's been trying to push Regina into a far, dark corner of her mind for god knows how long, which made her forget that she missed her. How fucked up is that.

Emma shrugs, deciding that she was going to make up for it. Second chances don't come around too often, and she was dead set on making the best of hers.

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 **Leave a review if you liked it :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yo guys! Sup? Don't get used to the almost daily chapters ok? I have midterms coming up. God help me...**

 **Funny anecdote: my math teacher has a huge-ass crush on another teacher.**

 **Another funny anecdote: I just ate a hotdog. Be jealous.**

 **On with the story!**

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The drive took a long time, which didn't help Emma's already frayed nerves. Her mind was blank the entire way, the words _'Regina's alive'_ echoing repeatedly in her head.

She pulls up in front of the hospital with a screech of her wheels against concrete, and she practically runs inside, completely forgetting to lock the car. Regina would've killed her.

She runs to the nurses' station in the ER, and practically breathes out a "Regina Mills, I'm here for Regina Mills."

The nurses look at each other, as if deciding if they should treat her like a normal person, or call the psych ward.

Emma silently thanks them when they decide on the first option.

"Your name, ma'am?"

"Sheriff Emma Swan," she says, out of breath. She slides her badge on the counter for the nurse to see.

The older woman looks at it critically, and writes something on her pc.

"A doctor will be with you shortly. If you would, please," she says, gesturing towards a row of seats far into the room.

Emma sits there, trying to stop her knee, which is bobbing up and down crazily. She sighs, and concentrates on observing her surroundings. She has always been good at people-watching.

She sees a man trying not to squirm in front of who she thinks is his girlfriend, as an intern plunges a needle in his arm.

She sees an angry doctor hitting a vending machine, and another sleeping in an empty patient's bed.

She sees a little girl crying beside her mother.

She sees a group of teenagers crossing the hallway with flowers and balloons.

 _Shit._ Flowers and balloons. She practically jumps out of her seat and rushes back to the nurses' station.

"Excuse me," she tries to get the attention of the nurse, but in vain.

"Excuse me!" she tries again, but she only gets a glare from the nurse.

"I told you to sit-"

"What's going on?" A soft, authoritative voice comes from behind Emma, and she has to stop herself from screaming HELP ME.

The sheriff turns around to see a woman, a head or two shorter than her. She has black rimmed glasses perched on a small nose, atop scattered freckles. Her long wavy black hair is let loose on her shoulders, and her eyes bore into Emma's with such green intensity that she has to take a step back.

The woman looks like a porcelain doll, pale, perfect, beautiful. And Emma can't help but be uncomfortable.

"Ah, doctor! There you are! This person here-" the nurse begins, but the doctor silences her with a raise of her hand.

"Are you Emma Swan?"

Emma nods mutely, thinking that this woman is definitely a smaller version of Regina.

The doctor grins, blinding Emma with a stunning smile. "If you would follow me, please."

Emma nods again, following the smaller woman into a hallway.

"Ms Mills is experiencing what I believe to be symptoms of PTSD, which is not unlikely for someone who went through what she did."

"What did she go... through?" Emma is almost afraid to ask, but she does anyway.

"Well, I don't know the details, but I found burn marks all over her body, which may indicate electrocution. I also found cuts and bruises everywhere, some superficial, and some... not so much. She's suffering from a concussion, amongst other things, like a busted knee, and sever damage to the eyes. She hasn't let any male doctor approach her," the doctor continues on sadly, as they step into the elevator.

Emma usually hates this kind of condescending, pitying tone, but this woman seems to be genuinely sorry for Regina.

She dares to glance sideways, and she sees tears streaking the doctor's face. Whoa, definitely emotional, this one. Emma finds it strangely endearing.

The smaller woman sniffles, and rubs her eyes under her glasses.

"I'm Doctor Jamie White, and I'm a cardio-thoracic surgeon."

Emma almost laughs. This woman looks like a highschooler.

Wait- "cardio surgeon? Does Regina need surgery?" Emma fires quickly, feeling panic gripping at her insides.

"Oh no, no, it's nothing like that." Jamie's quick to calm Emma down. "She didn't want anyone to touch her, and they thought that because I'm 'as cute as a kitten'," she's making air-quotations with her fingers while rolling her eyes. "That she would be more comfortable with me. And she was. It was a good call, but still, very insulting."

And just like that, Emma laughs, all her tension evaporating. Regina was in good hands, definitely.

Still, she feels a chill run through her veins as the doctor's words echo in her head. _Burns, cuts, a concussion, severe damage._ She takes a shuddering breath, steeling herself for the worse.

She expects the strong, smirking Regina as she enters the room, even though she knows that it's practically impossible. And she still gets shocked by the image in front of her. It's almost like a museum painting; she feels like she's looking at it from the outside. She's detached, and cold, and her heart is beating as fast as a human heart can beat without stopping.

Regina -yes, it is most definitely her, although infinitely skinnier, with longer hair that would've suited her if not for the cuts, bruises and burns, and a paler complexion.

She is laying in the hospital bed, hooked to all kinds of monitors that Emma completely disregards as she settles next to the mother of her child.

She approaches a shaking hand and caresses her hair and wow, it's still as smooth as ever -she figures someone must've given her a bath or something- and she feels a piece of her heart detach and fall.

She looks like she's in excruciating pain. And Emma can't do anything about it.

Just then, a man enters the room, sporting a haltered gun to his belt, and a police insignia.

"Emma Swan?" he asks in a deep and smooth voice, and Emma recognizes him as the man she spoke to on the phone.

She nods mutely, and he approaches her, cautiously eying Regina.

"Poor lady," he mutters, and then looks at Emma with serious eyes. "I promise you, we will do everything in our power to solve the case, Sheriff."

Emma nods again, her eyes not leaving Regina. "Where and how did you find her again?" she absently asks, as she plays with a strand of Regina's hair.

"In a cabin up in the woods. Some teenagers thought it was a good place to smoke a joint and drink some beer, but they were surprised to find this lady right here, cuffed into a corner like some animal."

"Whose cabin is it?"

"The guy who owned it died a few years back, and it's been vacant ever since. Basically anyone can access it."

"So you have nothing," Emma stated, her voice hardening, and her throat tightening.

"Hey, I'm not letting this case go cold," he promised her with a hand on her shoulder. "We will solve it."

"Thank you," Emma breathes, but it catches in her throat as she sees Regina's eyes open slowly.

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 **Kay, this is it! And to answer a reviewer, yes, this is absolutely a swanqueen fanfiction. Don't expect any less ;)**

 **leave a review if you liked it ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone, and welcome back for a new chapter of Resurgence!**

 **Just to clear some stuff up for a reviewer. This story is a complete AU. Henry was 8 when he found Emma, and we'll be exploring why in this chapter. Regina and Emma weren't best friends- I wrote that they were in chapter one by complete mistake. I didn't mean to. My hand slipped. Regina and Emma are not best friends... yet.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Funny anecdote: it is 3 am and I'm in dire need of sleep.**

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Regina's unfocused eyes immediately find Emma's. The sheriff's own widen and she can't help the tears falling on her face.

"Miss... S-Swan." Regina tries to frown in her usual way, but it comes off broken and in pain.

"Hey," Emma whisper softly as she continues to stroke Regina's hair, "we missed you so much."

Regina's eyes harden quickly and she casts them downwards, pure self-hatred on her face, and Emma feels her heart constrict. She still thinks they hate her...

"Yeah, we really did. Henry never gave up hope."

Regina looks at Jamie in way that has Emma close to sighing. She really doesn't want her here.

"I'm tired," she deadpans, which gets her an odd look from the doctor. She looks like she's about to say something, but decides not to.

She ushers Emma and the detective outside, with Emma's eyes lingering on Regina's form.

"Don't worry about her," Jamie assures her, as soon as they're out of the room. "The psychological damage she suffered is indeed major, but her physical state is improving quickly. The cuts and bruises have been healing for quite some time-"

"-which lead us to think that our unsub hasn't had contact with Miss Mills for a while," The detective continues without missing a beat.

"Has she described him, or talked about him at all?" Emma hopefully asks, but it is quickly shot down by a shake of the head from Detective.

"Nope. She said that she never saw his face, and that she didn't recognize his voice."

"Crap." Emma's anger is boiling inside her, and she feels the almost overpowering need to drown her sorrows in a single malt.

"You'll be able to take her home very soon," Jamie says, trying to lighten up the mood. It works, and it has Emma smiling slightly. Oh, Henry's gonna be over the moon when he learns that he gets to have his mom back.

Before Regina disappeared, she used to be one kick ass criminal attorney. She would spend her vacation and her sons' school breaks in the small town of Storybrooke, but they mainly lived in DC.

Regina's constant traveling back-and-forth dug a hole -more like a freaking canyon- between her and Henry, which pushed him to seek out his biological mother. Emma gladly accepted to be back in his life, as it was not exactly her decision to give him up. Her situation was a whole new level of shitty back then and she couldn't take care of him. That's about when she met Regina Mills, frigid lawyer and arrogant mayor. They immediately clashed. Their personalities were so different, so it was all too normal. Hate quickly developed between the two, as they fought for the love of the same child.

Then, Regina was taken, and through some legal shit she still cannot explain, she got custody of Henry. That was probably the best day of her life, even though her son lost his mother. Henry was as happy as her, though. Again, he wasn't his mother's number one fan. He used to hate her with a burning passion, and he tried with all his might to piss her off at all times.

But as the time passed and the hatred faded, they started feeling worse and worse. Henry missed Regina dearly. He noticed that Emma wasn't as experienced at being a mom as Regina was -she did raise him the best she could for 8 years.

He missed that Regina knew what he liked and what he hated by heart, while Emma still bought Cheerios for breakfast and didn't cut the crusts off his toast.

They may seem little and insignificant, but those things made him understand that his mom is irreplaceable. With some time, he admitted to Emma that Regina always managed to make time for Henry through her hectic schedule, and it was him who didn't want to spend it with her, because he was a "spoiled brat" back then -his words, by the way.

He also told Emma that he would do anything to get his mom back, even though he has her, and that she shouldn't take it as an offense- he still loves her, but he really wants his mom.

Emma understood, even if she still has bouts of jealousy now and then. She knew that she would never be able to be Henry's mom, like Regina was. She'll always be his Ma, which is a nickname for Emma, nothing more, and that made her bitter.

She really wants to be everything that child wants and deserves. But she simply doesn't have the experience, or the knowledge. He wanted something she wasn't- a mom. He wanted his mom.

And now he's gonna have her back.

With a pinch of jealousy and bitterness, Emma thinks that Henry's gonna be overjoyed, and that he'll probably forget about her now that he has his real mom back. But the same voice that has been voicing the reasonable side of her intervenes again, with a _'he loves you and you know that. He's still gonna need you in his life.'_

Emma thanks reasonable her, and tunes back into reality to find Jamie deep in conversation with the detective.

"Maybe a surveillance detail-"

"What?" Emma asks, praying that she's heard wrong. "I was lost in thought, what are you guys talking about?"

"Well, we were thinking that since the kidnapper doesn't know that Regina's been found yet, we can put a surveillance detail on the cabin, in case he comes back. You will also have one, when she's out of the hospital," the detective explains, and Emma finds herself nodding. Then, _why's everyone so convinced that I'll take Regina home and stay with her?_

 _'Because everyone has seen how you sat next to her and stroked her hair you idiot. They think you're a couple.'_ Crap, the voice of reason was right. Now that she's looking at Jamie and the cop, she realizes that they do look like they think they're a couple.

"You do need to know a couple of things before you take her home," Jamie cuts in, and Emma has to hold back a sigh. More responsibilities. Great.

"Her liver is giving us trouble, but not to the point where she would need dialysis. She'll need to take a pill that should do the job. If it doesn't, we'll look at other options. I cannot do anything about her knee, which has been irreparably damaged. I'm afraid she's going to need a cane, or some kind of support, but she'll be able to walk again very soon. Her eyesight is damaged, and she's going to need glasses," Jamie said at last. "It may seem like a lot, but she's one hell of a fighter. She's been refusing any kind of painkillers. I don't know if that's a good thing, though."

Emma smiles knowingly because, hell yeah, this is the Regina she knows. But then, she frowns, and she knows that she's going to need to convince Regina to take those pills. Wait- _is she even going to allow me to stay at the mansion to take care of her? Since when do I even want to take care of Regina?_

 _'Since she is Henry's mother, and there's no one else to take care of her.'_

 _Crap, stop it, voice of reason. It's annoying._

Emma was genuinely dreading Regina's coming back home. With all the things that happened over the past few years, she had completely forgotten that she used to hate Regina. You can't really hate a dead person. That would be like... a real dick move. And Emma isn't a dick.

During those years Regina was dead, missing, whatever, she convinced herself that Regina was actually a good person, a little bit misunderstood, maybe -which she was definitely not. At least not to Emma. Or anyone else to Emma's knowledge, except Henry of course. She's never seen someone as frigid and cruel as Regina Mills.

Emma smiles nonetheless, and nods. "Anything else?"

Jamie's eyes light up, and it's so adorable that Emma is convinced that she's doing the right thing.

Jamie loops their arms together and smiles. "Let's go get some coffee."

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 **Hope you liked it! Leave a review if you did :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! Welcome back to a new chapter of resurgence! I hope you'll like it.**

 **Fun anecdote: my parents are giving me shit for wanting to go to a good uni and they don't want me to study what I want to study. Good life.**

 **Enjoy!**

Emma stayed with Regina for a week in the hospital. The mayor was either in and out of consciousness, or under the influence of her pain meds, but her and Emma managed to have a few civilized chats. The sheriff has to admit it; she's rather pleasant to talk to when drugged. She just thinks that it's a shame that she's just starting to appreciate Regina.

Their 'war' over Henry clouded Emma's vision and logic, and she couldn't see that under that stone cold surface, there was soft heart and an even softer smile. And she's beating herself up for it. The woman had to be kidnapped for Emma to see that she is decent person. Though Emma doubts that she'll get to see more of that Regina when she's not drugged all day.

Regina asked Emma about Henry most of the time, but she also asked about Katherine, Regina's best friend, and Mary, who had become mayor after Regina's disappearance. Regina was not pleased, to say the least, but she did admit that Mary would do an amazing job, which Emma assured her that she is doing.

Emma also tried to ask Regina about the six years she went missing, but Regina just shook her head, and said that she didn't remember a thing. But Emma can see that whatever happened took its toll heavily on the woman. She _was_ kidnapped for six years.

She has become less stubborn, less forceful- she agreed to be put on pain meds with little to no argument when Emma butted in, though the blonde suspects that she complied just because she yelled. Emma still shudders when she remembers the horror that took over Regina when she heard the blonde raise her voice.

She immediately calmed down, but the damage was done. Regina demanded to be let alone after that. Emma couldn't do anything but comply. It still bothered her, though. The Regina she knew was a force of nature. She'd have to be held at gunpoint to change her mind.

She has also become physically... _weak_ , as much as it pains Emma to admit. Before, she couldn't imagine saying the words 'Regina' and 'weak' in the same sentence. And now...

Her condition's getting better, but she was still coughing up blood often. She can see more clearly now, though she still needs the glasses that Emma bought for her from a nearby optician. The cuts and bruises are healing steadily, and her headaches are fading. Her liver was also doing better. But she still has trouble moving, and walking.

Walking was like Regina's own personal demon. Every time she had to get up to do her physical therapy exercises, she would either complain of a headache, or say that her knee hurt too much. But Emma knows that it was because she simply couldn't walk. Her knee was nearly reduced to dust during whatever happened to her, and it was giving her hell. Walking with only one leg while the other hurt like a bitch would force anyone into bed. It still made Emma wince. It may seem redundant now, but Regina does _not_ give up this easily. This Regina though, seemed... resigned. It broke the blonde's heart.

What kind of shocks Emma is Regina's face. It's still flawless, just like it was before she was taken. She has a few theories as to why the unsub decided to spare it, and the most obvious was that he wanted to -Emma struggles with even the thought of it- look at it while he did what he did to Regina.

Anger sores through her every time she thinks about it. When she first thought up the theory, she immediately went to Dr. White about it. The young woman told her that they did a rape kit as soon as Regina was brought to the hospital. It tested positive, and White even suspects repetitive rape because of all the tearing in the vaginal walls.

Emma ran to the bathroom and puked her guts out, as soon as she heard that, and she hasn't been able to look at Regina since. It's been three days.

Today is the day Regina goes back home. Emma takes a deep, shuddering breath as she looks at her reflection in the mirror. She can do this. Regina is the victim, not her. She has to be stronger than that. Flashes of memories dance before her eyes, making her sigh. Nope, not doing this, especially not today.

She goes out of the bathroom and her memory, and walks towards Regina's room. She finds her up and awake, watching a rerun of a Friends episode.

She smiles, and notices Jamie coming from behind her to stand beside her in the doorway, a small smile on her face too. She has a couple of nurses and interns with her, one of them pushing a wheelchair.

"Hey," Emma whispers softly, not to startle Regina. The woman smiles radiantly as soon as she sees the blonde, who can't help but smile in return.

"I've been worried... About you," Regina tries, as she gulps back a cough. "Where have you been?"

"Taking care of stuff," Emma lies through her teeth with a grin. She likes it when Regina smiles at her -she does have a beautiful smile- but it's very unfamiliar, and it makes Emma's skin crawl.

She doesn't know what the fuck happened to Regina to make her smile at her like, but she guesses it was enough to make her wish she was back at home with a son that hates her, and a biological mother ready to bare her teeth.

Of course, after what happened, Henry blamed himself, and cried for days on end. He wanted his mom more than anything. _"Just to say sorry Ma, I just want to say sorry. I'm sorry, mommy. I love you."_ He cried one night into her arms, and fell asleep clutching the sheriff and a picture of his mom. It still breaks Emma's heart. She wonders what his reaction will be when he sees Regina. The second chance they're getting is very rare, and she hopes he'll do it justice.

Regina nods her understanding, and looks at Jamie with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Is it time?" She asks hopefully.

Jamie nods, grinning. The intern pushes the wheelchair further into the room, as Regina hurries to get up – Emma rushes to her, helping her into it. It leaves Regina panting, but with happiness radiating out of her.

She's going home. She still fears the moment she will see Henry, but she misses him like crazy. She doesn't care if he still hates her. She can't wait to see her son.

 **This is it! Next time, we'll have more Regina/Emma interactions, and maybe the meeting everyone's been waiting for -hopefully- between Henry and Regina.**

 **Oh btw I was really bummed that I didn't get any reviews on last chapter? Oh well.**

 **Till next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Hi guys and welcome to a new chapter of Resurgence! I'm so glad I had the motivation to post this!_**

 ** _I have an announcement. Starting this Monday, I will have midterms for two weeks. I'll be finished by the beginning of march, thankfully, but I'll not be able to post a new chapter. And if I do, please yell at me in the comments because I'm probably procrastinating on studying math and physics to write._**

 ** _Anyway, hope you like this. Some more interaction between our ladies ;) The Regina/Henry meeting will definitely be next chapter._**

 ** _Funny anecdote: math is sucking my soul. I have nothing left. Help._**

* * *

 _"Fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars, let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars. In other words, hold my hand. In other words, darling kiss me... Fill my heart with songs and let me sing, forevermore. You are all I long for, all I worship and adore... In other words, please be true, in other words, I love you,"_ Frank Sinatra sings softly, his voice flowing from the cruiser's radio.

The women had been sitting in an uncomfortable silence for about two hours when Emma finally decided to put on some music.

Regina was definitely pleased with this decision, as she surprised Emma with some soft humming.

Apparently, she is a fan of the classics.

Emma smiles softly as she looks fondly at Regina from the corner of her eye. How had she been so blind? How had she not seen the amazing woman that was sitting right next to her, during those months she was in Storybrooke? She was an absolute moron. If only she hadn't taken the kid's words to heart... If only she had looked some more, to see for herself who Regina truly was...

She shakes her head. What if's are not what she needs right now. They are merely some dust the past's left in its wake. And Regina's right here. Definitely in the present.

Emma notices Regina looking at her curiously.

"What?" She asks, self-consciously passing a hand through her blond, tangled mess of a hair. It's been a week since she showered. She must look like a truck hit her.

"Nothing," the other woman shrugs and turns to look out of the window.

Even Regina, who's been freaking kidnapped, looks better than her right now.

She's sitting in the passenger seat, her legs stretched in front of her, the back of her chair reclined backward because of her back pain. A dark red, hand-knit blanket sat on her knees, courtesy of an elderly woman who became quite taken with Regina when they met at the hospital.

Chantal Mayers is a sweet, elderly nurse in her late sixties. She loves her patients more than anything, but for some reason, she had chosen Regina as her favorite. Emma understands. Regina's 'holier than thou' attitude got... crushed during her disappearance, and was somehow replaced by a submissive, almost child-like behavior. It scared the _fuck_ out of Emma.

Regina now smiles all the time, talks very softly, cowers every time someone raises their voice and obeys every command she's given. Very un-Regina-like. Emma wonders if she'll ever talk to the old Regina again. Though, secretly, deep down, she wishes she'll not have to.

Old Regina was mean. She was what one would be able to qualify as a 'bitch' without a single doubt or regret. She was a tiger in the courtroom, a lioness at home. She used to scream at her maid -because of course, Regina Mills had a maid. She's way too busy to do chores- if she did something wrong, even if it was as insignificant as spilling some water or breaking a glass.

She was much more lenient with Henry though, Emma can see it now, even though the kid used to insist that she wasn't. That was basically the reason that pushed him to seek out his biological mother. Though Emma is thankful to have Henry back into her life, she understood somewhere along the line, during the time Regina was missing, that the woman was nothing like Henry had described when they first met. And that was because of the teen himself.

She had found him crying one night, and he had explained to her in tears that he was the worst son a mother could ask for. Emma had assured him of the contrary, but he wouldn't have it, and he had told her, unbiased this time, what Regina was like- tough, strict, loving, and most of all, caring. He had rambled on and on about all the things his mother used to do for him - miss hearings, cancel meetings, learn specific recipes, among other things that made Emma realize that Regina had set the motherhood bar far too high for her to even see.

That night, she had learned that Regina was an incredible mother –if not a little busy– and that she will never be able to meet her son's sky-high standards. But that's okay, Henry assured her. He liked her mothering too.

"Do I have something on my face?" Emma asks again, this time meeting Regina's eyes.

Regina shrugs again, and looks at her blanket.

"No."

Silence again.

"Do you think Henry will like having me back?" Regina asks in a small voice, making Emma sigh.

"Regina, I already told you-"

"But, he hated me," She states, though tears were pearling at the corner of her eyes. "I don't see... How this will change now."

Emma swallows thickly. She still doesn't know how to deal with this Regina. True, they had talked quite a bit at the hospital, but that was just Regina catching up on the latest Storybrooke gossip. It wasn't as... meaningful as what Regina was delving into.

"He told me himself that he would do everything to have you back. He's grown up, Regina. He knows what he did wrong now, and he realizes that your job was very important to you, and that you didn't always have time for him. He forgave you."

Regina fell silent after that, but Emma could hear slow, anguished sobs coming from her. She had her back to the Sheriff, laying down on her side, and looking out of the window.

 _"Wise men say, 'only fools rush in.' But I can't help falling in love with you. Shall I stay, would it be a sin? If I can't help falling in love with you."_

Slowly, the crying subsided, leaving only heavy breathing. The humming resumed, causing Emma's head to bob along with the rhythm.

 _"Like a river flows, surely to the sea, darling so it goes, some things are meant to be... Take my hand, take my whole life too... For I can't help falling in love with you. Like a river flows surely to the sea, darling so it goes, some things are meant to be... Take my hand, take my whole life too... For I can't help falling in love with you."_

Emma's eyes catch the reflection of Regina's in the window. They look at each other, and smile.

 _"For I can't help falling in love with you."_

* * *

 **Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley give me life, you guys. I love them. Anyways, I hope you liked the musical side of this chapter. As always, reviews make me happy. Please motivate me to study, it would be much appreciated :) (help me pls)**


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